Sortino fanned 10 and allowed just three hits to give Oxford its fourth division win and fifth overall victory in six games. “This win keeps us in the division hunt,” said Oxford coach Chris Palmer. “We need a little help, but we need to keep taking care of business.”

The Blackhawks (4-3, 9-5) had few scoring opportunities against Hauber, who fanned 12 and allowed just two hits. To Oxford’s credit, it took advantage of Hauber’s spell of sixth-inning wildness to grab the lead.

After Nick Gates was hit by a pitch to start the inning, he moved to second on a stolen base and scored on Alex Champlin’s bloop single over first base. Champlin came around to score the go-ahead run after a Deposit error and Hauber wild pitch. “There weren’t a lot of balls put in play and we did not have one hard-hit ball all day,” Palmer said. “Both pitchers hit their spots until Hauber got a little wild.”

Hotaling logged six innings striking out three, walking none, and allowing just five hits. Tim Clark pitched a scoreless seventh to preserve the victory.

“We needed this win, and we were aggressive at the plate,” said Norwich coach John Martinson. “We knew we were better than what we had shown the previous two games, and we finally put it all together. We hope it carries over against Seton Catholic Central.”